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Taming fearful thoughts

Dear Annie: My wife and I have three perfect grandchildren, ages 1, 5 and 7. We love watching them at least one day a week. Their parents are caring and careful. But occasionally when I am just about to fall asleep, I have “waking dreams” that the most horrible things happen to the kids. Why? I am able to push these disturbing thoughts out of my brain in a few seconds. I don’t want to pay a psychiatrist for the answer. — Worried in Kentucky Dear Worried in Kentucky: While I admire your ability to push those disturbing thoughts out of your mind, nonetheless, that which we ...

Uncomfortable for all passengers

Dear Annie: When did airplane seats become so small? I hadn’t flown in six years until this past spring, when I booked a flight to attend a family wedding. I reserved a window seat so that I could relax in comfort. But the experience was anything but comfortable. For starters, the man next to me in the middle seat must have been 6’2” tall and weighed at least 250 pounds, and he could not possibly sit in the middle seat without taking up room from the window and aisle seats. We almost had to pull up the middle seat armrests so that he could sit down. The whole time, I kept trying ...

Wants to support independence

Dear Annie: My youngest is set to move out of the family home in the next month or two. We don’t mind her living at home, but she needs to move out for her own peace of mind, so she can have her own space and start to live independently. She’s 22. In the past — and still — she has often asked for money so that she can make important payments (for example, college tuition, car insurance). But more often than not, she uses the money I give her to buy frivolous, in-the-moment wants. She has two jobs, so I know she’ll be able to afford rent — if she keeps up the hard work and ...

Democrats, don’t try to impeach Trump. Please

Many pundits have this unfortunate habit of framing what they want as what the American people want. I’ve been guilty of this at times. After all, what is more gratifying than the idea that the American masses are marching behind your band? Similarly, some left-leaning writers are insisting that the great majority of Democrats wants President Donald Trump impeached. And they have inconclusive polls to back their position. Thus, we have Michelle Goldberg at The New York Times saying that, on the basis of a CNN poll, 76 percent of Democratic voters back impeachment. As she herself ...

It’s more than the economy

For more than a generation, James Carville’s campaign maxim, “It’s the economy, stupid,” has been held up as an essential truth of American politics. There’s no denying that a strong economy is an incumbent president’s best friend. Seventy-three percent of voters currently rate the economy as a very important issue. As a result, if the economy remains strong for another 1 1/2 years, many analysts believe President Donald Trump will be favored to win reelection. On the other hand, if a recession hits next year, we will almost certainly have a new president in ...

Prank gone too far

Dear Annie: My office mates and I enjoy a good prank as a way of keeping things light. Recently, a good friend of mine, “Jimmy,” went on an extended vacation with his family. I decided to do a prank I have long wanted to do: put his house up for sale. My wife, “Diana,” told me that I would get arrested and go to jail. I laughed it off, as she often says this to me when I am considering a next-level prank. I listed his home in a local paper, “for sale by buyer,” and described “myself” as a motivated seller. I instructed readers to call “my” cellphone. I put “for ...